A review by cavalary
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

While it's becoming increasingly obvious that the Mistborn series is where all of the Cosmere will eventually come together, this remains not only "light" Sanderson, but even "light" Mistborn, if you compare it to the original trilogy... Or even to the previous two books. Yes, these books are meant to be something of a fantasy western, presenting a world undergoing its Industrial Revolution and most likely being lighter, shallower stepping stones towards something much greater, so you shouldn't expect anything like the level of worldbuilding and character development and portrayal, the social analysis and commentary, that deep understanding of how people and societies work, and what I'd even call the wisdom that shines through The Stormlight Archive and a few other works. However, this time I'm tempted to say that the author is making too much of a point of holding back, allowing some details about another layer of complexity to seep through but mostly indirectly, delaying what would be more notable revelations but doing far from enough to fill the remaining void... Not even with thrilling action, seeing as not much happens during the first quarter of the book, which serves mainly as a reminder of the characters' personalities, with the exception of the chapter that's essentially an information dump about the more complex aspects of the magic system. A thrilling action scene does follow after that first quarter, but it's only one of two, or three if you're feeling generous.

This doesn't make The Bands of Mourning a bad book. I recognize that it'd still be a competent effort by other standards, especially if you come with the right expectations, and I'm being undeservedly harsh, but it's underwhelming when it's written by an author who’s obviously capable of so much more, in absolutely every way. The action, the character development, the worldbuilding, the detailed magic system, the commentary and analysis, every aspect is present but muted, held back, leaving something that's mainly a slow-paced detective story that doesn't even benefit from a relatable antagonist and may be said to culminate with a huge serving of hero's luck.